Anvil Press has been publishing books of translated poetry and contemporary English poetry since 1968. They publish a mix of works by new authors and previously published works by authors like Charles Baudelaire and Victor Hugo. The previously published works are always in new translations. They accept unsolicited manuscripts by mail, but only if the author has already been published in poetry magazines. Responses to submissions can take up to three months. Learn more at www.anvilpresspoetry.com.
Bloodaxe publishes about 30 books of poetry by contemporary authors each year. Probably their best-known book is Staying Alive, an "international anthology of life-affirming poems," which sold over 150,000 copies. They are known for the high-quality graphic design of their books. They publish new poets each year and prospective authors should send up to a dozen poems by mail. Submitters should already have a book-length collection of poems and should have been previously published. Learn more at www.bloodaxebooks.com.
Based in Scotland, Canongate Books publishes poetry, fiction, and non-fiction by authors from around the world. For example, they published Barack Obama's memoir Dreams From My Father in the U.K., and they also published a volume of Scottish poetry from before 1,000 B.C. They publish both popular, mainstream works and unique, obscure books. To submit poems, send samples via mail and allow up to three months for response. Learn more at www.meetatthegate.com
Carcanet, founded in 1962, publishes one of the largest collections of poetry in the UK. It also publishes PN Review, a poetry magazine. Carcanet is one of the most widely respected poetry publishers in the UK, with five of its authors receiving Nobel Prizes for their work. They focus on poetry from the Modernist tradition but have published poets as ancient as Ovid. To submit, send six to ten pages of work and wait six weeks for a response. Learn more at www.carcanet.co.uk.
Eintharmon is known for publishing illustrated poetry, collaborations between artists and writers. It is named after a character in William Blake's poems and the logo comes from a Blake woodcut. It recently published Seamus Heaney's The Testament of Cresseid with illustrations by Hughie O'Donoghue. Eintharmon is not currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts but they plan to in the future. They recommend that new writers focus on publishing poetry in magazines. Learn more at www.enitharmon.co.uk.